Op-ed: Tuesday President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea, formerly Bradley, Manning meaning she will be released from prison in May 2017.

Bradley Manning case background

Manning was and maybe still is viewed by some as an arch enemy of the USA and a traitor but for others he or rather now she is a hero who deserves thanks rather than imprisonment or death.

The allegations against Manning date back to 2009 and 2010 when he was working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. The data available to him was arguably top-secret but rather than jeopardising troops as claimed by some in the USA his revelations showed that some in the US military were abusing their power. [see footage at the end of this report]

A careless disregard for life was shown in one video as US military personnel in a chopper let lose a barrage of bullets on civilians in Iraq, after wrongly identifying a target.

The public outcry that followed had to have some positive effects on operations in foreign lands.

It also led to questions about the radicalisation of Muslims by western military through such destructive acts of violence.

The Baltimore Sun reporting on Manning's time in court in 2013 said:

"An Army prosecutor told a military judge Monday that Pfc. Bradley Manning drew on his military training to harvest hundreds of thousands of classified documents from military computers and dump them on the Internet, where he knew their release would endanger fellow U.S. soldiers. An attorney for Manning described the 25-year-old soldier as naive but well-intentioned, and said he released the materials because "he was hoping to make the world a better place. The long-awaited court-martial of the one time Marylander, who is at the center of the largest security breach in U.S. history, began at Fort Meade on Monday with opening statements from both sides."

According to a report in the Guardian in 2013 terrorists were using downloaded information from Manning to wage their terrible war on the west:

"In the course of pre-trial hearings, military prosecutors have outlined the basic skeleton of their case against Manning. They will seek to show that Osama bin Laden personally instructed an aide to download elements of WikiLeaks, including the Afghan war logs, on to digital storage devices so that he could read them. The court will hear – either in person at a secret session of the trial, or in an affidavit – from an anonymous witness called only "John Doe", who is believed to be one of the 22 US Navy Seals who killed Bin Laden in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011."

However the above proves little unless you believe that all members of the military always act honestly at all times and are never corrupt.

As we all know they are not.

Nonetheless if Bin Laden did use such information he will have also used reports and information gleaned from the Internet via sources such as Fox News, BBC News and CNN. Are the prosecutors suggesting a clampdown on Internet freedoms and the freedom of the press we wondered.

Manning was abused and humiliated during his incarceration leading up to and during the trial.

In August 2013 the long awaited verdict and sentence in the military trial of Manning was over.

Manning was handed a 35-year jail term. Whilst some in the media, and probably Bradley's family, appeared thankful that the sentence was no longer who could know if it would turn into a life sentence.

This young man in theory could have been in jail until he was in his sixties.

But the prosecution in the case had wanted a 60-year sentence.

​Call me Chelsea

The day after he was sentenced there were reports that Manning had issued a letter thanking his supporters and stating that he wanted to begin hormone therapy and live out the rest of his life as a woman.

Much was made of Bradley's personality and sexuality issues during his military trial, especially during the trials latter stages. His "dirty washing" was aired in public for all to chew over and take a sneaky giggle at.

Supporters of Manning began petitioning President Barack Obama in the hope of a pardon for the young former soldier and finally this week the outgoing President has come through for Chelsea.

Outgoing Presidents in the USA have the power to free some prisoners and Tuesday President Obama commuted Manning's sentence. But Manning and Julian Assange are linked by WikiLeaks.

Assange, holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012, had pledged he would allow himself to be extradited if Obama freed Manning and Wednesday it looks like he will keep his word.

"The anti-secrecy website tweeted: "If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (Department of Justice) case." Mr Assange's lawyer, Melinda Taylor, went further last night, suggesting the 45-year-old Australian intends to make good on his pledge. WikiLeaks tweeted: "Assange lawyer @themtchair on Assange-Manning extradition 'deal': "Everything that he has said he's standing by."However when Donald Trump becomes President of the USA Friday it will put a new spin on Assange and Wikileaks.

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